Showcase #4 The Flash (DC, 1956) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages....

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Showcase #4 The Flash (DC, 1956) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages. Surely the best Silver Age comic book Heritage has ever offered at auction, this copy is a serious contender for the most desirable copy of any Silver Age comic. If you leave Marvel aside and consider only DC books, we will commit to saying that there's nothing to top this.

In terms of historical significance, few books can hold a candle to Showcase #4 -- it introduced a new superhero at a time when only Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman had their own titles (and not a single superhero was being published at Atlas/Marvel after that firm's failed revival attempt a couple of years previously). As Paul Kupperberg noted, "frankly, anything would have been a welcome relief from the tedium of the day, when Superman was pitted against gangsters in suits and Batman fought aliens in outer space."

Though all of the creators involved (editor Julius Schwartz, writer Robert Kanigher, penciler Carmine Infantino, and inker Joe Kubert) had worked on the Golden Age Flash Comics title in some capacity, it was agreed to create a new Flash character rather than attempting a revival... and the target audience for comics was too young to remember the older series anyway. Even a reference to the old series showing a copy of Flash Comics #13 went over readers' heads -- Gary Carter noted that that panel was "the first time I ever saw the Golden Age Flash as a child. At the time though, I had no idea it was a 'real' comic book, so to speak."

The new Flash, Barry Allen, not only had a sleek look unlike any costume seen in the Golden Age, the art style was exciting and new, courtesy of Carmine Infantino. The character was a hit, and three more Showcase appearances and his own series would soon follow.

A beautifully unblemished copy front and back, as are the others in this amazing run.

Overstreet 2009 NM- 9.2 value = $48,000. CGC census 4/09: 1 in 9.6, none higher. From the Motor City Showcase Run.

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 0710525004, including grader's notes if available and a link to the latest full census report for the issue.*

*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information, which is provided as a service to our clients. Feel free to contact each data source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.

More information about Showcase, and Showcase #4 Comic Title.

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